Miyamoto: "It's fair to turn 3DS 3D off"

Developer legend Shigeru Miyamoto has admitted that in some cases it's perfectly acceptable to turn the 3D effect off when playing games on the Nintendo 3DS.

"There are times when people are going to want to play in 2D anyway," Miyamoto said during an E3 roundtable interview reported by Kotaku.

"I think it's fair for people to say, 'Oh yeah, for this section of the game, I'm just going to turn the 3D depth slider off.' And, in other parts of the game, they may want to turn it on. I think that's a perfectly acceptable way to play the games."

The Nintendo 3DS' glasses-free 3D visuals were the focus on its pre-launch marketing campaign.

But many have found playing games more manageable with 3D turned off, given that the handheld needs to be held straight in front of your eyes for the effect to work.

This issue is exacerbated by games that feature tilt-based controls and require the 3DS be moved about.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, which launched last Friday in the UK, is a game with optional gyroscopic controls.

"There are some sections of some games where you might find it easier or more compelling to play it in 3D," Miyamoto said.

"For a game like Ocarina of Time, in particular, if you know a cinema scene is coming up, please, definitely pop that thumb up there and quickly slide that 3D depth slider to max. It will look great."

Miyamoto suggested that Nintendo is working to widen the 3D viewing angle, which would theoretically make playing games in 3D more comfortable while moving the 3DS about.

"On the programming side with the gyro controls, we are providing some assistance to make sure that the 3D visuals stay in focus as much as possible," Miyamoto said.